Architecture touching the earth lightly

This award-winning home in Sydney was originally designed by the acclaimed architect Glenn Murcutt. He is known for wanting to 'touch the earth lightly' and for considering the movement of wind and water, temperature and light before designing the building itself. More recently Angelo Candalepas of Candalepas Associates was given the possibly daunting task of designing an extension on adjacent land.

More than rising to the challenge, the result is ingenious and imaginative in equal measure. Drawing inspiration from the architecture on the Greek island of Santorini, Angelo developed the idea of a vaulted “sliver” of concrete over the old and new pavilions. The breezeway between the pavilions provides cross-ventilation and soft light reflects off the many concrete and timber surfaces in the home, delivering what Angelo describes as a “surreal effect”.

[Photography by Brett Boardman]